Doncaster Book Award - Read Reviews

Doncaster: Discover the Spirit

The Other Book
by Philip Womack

So far we have received 10 reviews of The Other Book. You can read them below - or why not add your own review?

Kyle from Year 10, Ridgewood School:

The Other Book is about worlds of evil, trying to be released
by a family, but when the book containing it is found by
Edward, he's willing to protect it.

I liked the way things didn't make sense until you progressed
through the book.

My favourite character was Edward, he had a sense of the main
character but later turned out not to be.

I disliked the confusion that you could receive reading only
one page.

This book is perfect for those who like action and a bit of
fantasy.

Marks out of 10: 8

Callum from Year 7, Ridgewood School:

I aboslutly hated reading it it was sooooooooooooo! boring it
just whent on and on about nothing.

Marks out of 10: 1

Sophie from Year 5, Ridgewood School:

I LOVED THIS BOOK !!!!!!!THe other book is about how a young
boy is chosen to revive the good and stop evil from mixing our
world with the world in this other book. I love this book so
much the scenes we well described and it felt like you were in
the book. this book is NOT boring at all and DOES NOT drag on
about the same stuff. If you like adventure then you will like
this book it is a good late night read.

Marks out of 10: 10

Andrew from Year 8, Danum School Technology College:

this book was not very intresting but I still found it
readable. it's about an old book what was buried under the
grounds of oldstone manor and as soon as you read that part you
can predict the rest.

Marks out of 10: 6

Emily from Year 10, Ridgewood School:

This is book is really good as it is about the boy who is
called Edward finds a book and it is called the other book.
Edward is naught really at the start of the book so they move
him to his which was wooden and cold, but he was still messing
about so they decided to take him to another home and his room
was at the very top of the this house (the attic).

I think this book is at the area of age between year 7 and
above because people young then this will not understand this.
This book is fanstic, brillant. I can list so many words that
this book is.

Marks out of 10: 10

Jack from Year 8, Danum School Technology College:

The Other Book is a story about a mysterious evil book that
lives in a place called Oldstone Manor. This book is called
'the other book' and has powers to take over you when you read
it. It was hidden somewhere in Oldstone Manor many years ago.
It was never supposed to be found again. However, a normal boy
called Edward Pollock is the unlucky finder of the book. A
woman who wants to use the book for evil called Lady Anne tries
to track Edward down by appointing for a teacher's job in the
school Edward goes to. She catches him and traps him in her
house but Edward refuses to give the book to her. Lady Anne
tries to force the book from him but is stopped by one of
Edward's new friends. That is really what the story is about.
The book can be confusing at times but once you get into it, it
is a really good book. I would recommend this book to older
readers because it can be scary at times and it is a heavy read
to understand. I enjoyed reading this book though and I would
rate it an 8/10. I am not sure whether this book is good enough
to reach the shortlist because there are many good books in the
longlist this year, but I think it may have a chance.

Marks out of 10: 8

Emily from Year 7, Danum School Technology College:

I really liked this book it had a lot of detail in everything
and even though I’m not a fan of gruesome books but I enjoyed
every bit of this book!!! Sometimes I found it quite confusing
however if I just read that bit again I understood it.

Marks out of 10: 9

Mr Belleini, McAuley Catholic High School:

I was really impressed with about two thirds of this book.

It skilfully establishes a world like our own with dark
undercurrents based in the murky past of an ancient family.
The curse that falls is centered around the 'Other Book" of the
title which helps to guard the barrier between the real world
and the world of spirits around it.

With mysterious and deadly enemies, dark magic that echoes
through the ages, a believable and fascinating main character
and a writing style that propels you from page to page, why am
I left unsatisfied?

The need to have 'dramatic action sequences' and 'really
obvious monsters' and 'bizarre machineries of death' lets this
down. I was hoping, expecting and enjoying the slow,
understated build up. I was disappointed with the quick and
brash later stages.

Marks out of 10: 7

Hugo from Year 9, McAuley Catholic High School:

I agree with this Mr belleini guy(who ever he is).This book is
very interesting and has a good concept,ghosts and and evil
creatures etc. Although it starts good, as you go on you get
confused after only a few pages and want to stop reading.
That's not what i want to see in this book, which is a shame
because one great book has been missed out this year in the
doncaster book awards. That book is Mr topsy-turvy written by
roger hargreaves the auther of all the mr men books. Now THIS
IS an interesting book with plot,suspense and cleverly thought
up characters . Mr topsy-turvy is much better than the previous
books,Mr tickle and Mr strong. Don't get me wrong it won't
relive the glory days of Mr bump and Mr funny but it has done
justice for the Mr men series and for that should be
acknowledge.

Although the 'other book' is very good. It gets a bit tedious
near the end, but shouldn't stop people reading it. 7 out of
10